UND running back Tyler Hoosman haunts his old team
Sep. 11—GRAND FORKS — UND running back Tyler Hoosman repeated Saturday night how much respect he has for the Northern Iowa football team.
Hoosman walked on at Northern Iowa in 2017 without a scholarship, spent five seasons with the Panthers, was a part of four FCS playoff teams, eventually earned a scholarship and left Cedar Falls with plenty of friends.
"It's nothing but love for them," Hoosman said.
He didn't show it on the field Saturday.
For a couple of afternoon hours in the Alerus Center, Hoosman methodically picked apart his old team with one of the best games in his collegiate career.
The 6-foot, 215-pound back from Plainfield, Ill., carried the ball 17 times for 101 yards and a touchdown, playing a key role in helping the Fighting Hawks beat No. 24 Northern Iowa 29-27 in their Missouri Valley Football Conference game.
"Bittersweet," Hoosman said. "That's all I can say. It's real bittersweet. We've got a lot of respect for that team coming in. They showed how tough they are. We knew they were going to be tough."
Hoosman was tough, too.
Consider:
* In five years at Northern Iowa, Hoosman only eclipsed the 100-yard mark in a game once — a 2019 game against South Dakota. Then, he did it against his old team.
* On Saturday, he rushed for more yards (101) than he did in all of last season for the Panthers (68).
* During the fourth quarter, he ripped off a 46-yard run. It was the longest of his college career, surpassing a 36-yard scamper he had as a freshman in 2018.
"He's a great person who plays hard, and that's what he did," Northern Iowa coach Mark Farley said. "He walked on at our place. We scholarship-ed him. He just works hard. That's what you can say about Tyler. He's a great person who works hard."
Hoosman said he tried to keep a level head this week and block out any outside noise about the matchup against his old team.
"He handled it really well," UND coach Bubba Schweigert said. "It's hard because you're playing against friends and a program you've been a part of for a long time. . . and been a good performer for them. We're happy to have him. He really brings maturity to not just our running back room but he brings maturity to our offensive side of the ball because he's an experienced player."
UND needed his contributions, too.
Isaiah Smith, who ran for 104 yards last week at Nebraska, struggled to get anything going on the ground Saturday. He rushed the ball eight times for 10 yards.
As the game wore on, Hoosman became UND's main back.
"There wasn't much room out there, so we knew we were going to have to break some tackles," Schweigert said about UND's decision to go to Hoosman. "They're physical up front. We challenged our line and we challenged our backs to get some hard-nosed yards. Those 3-, 4-, 5-, 6-yard gains are huge. We had some of those that really put us in some good down and distance situations.
"For two weeks now, he's gotten some tough, hard-nosed yards. We're going to really need him as we continue on this season."
Two of Hoosman's biggest plays came in the fourth quarter.
With UND holding a 14-13 lead, he took a handoff from quarterback Tommy Schuster on the quarter's opening play, powered between the tackles and into the end zone.
Two drives later, he took a handoff at his own 48, bounced the play outside to the right and wasn't tackled until he got to the 6. Schuster scored the decisive touchdown on the next play.
"He played really well," UND linebacker Josh Navratil said of Hoosman. "He always runs hard at practice. It's something you see every day out of him. I knew he was going to come out today with a chip on his shoulder, something to prove. It's hard to think about that type of situation, playing against your old team. But I think he handled it really well in his preparation and how he played today."
Hoosman decided to go into the transfer portal after his workload diminished last season. After carrying the ball 92 times in 2019 and a team-high 89 times in a pandemic-shortened spring 2021 season, he only had 30 rushes in 2021.
"I just think I still have a lot left to give," Hoosman said. "It's always been a dream of mine to get the opportunity or get a shot at the next level. I know I had a lot of unfinished business. It just so happened that another team was going to be the best option for me to get that opportunity.
"And I give North Dakota and the coaching staff all the credit in the world for that. They've showed me nothing but love since I've been here. I've been happy since I've been here, 100 percent. Right now, I'm just really focused on the rest of the season and what these guys could do."
